Saving Poppy Dursley
by Adumbledore
Summary: AU in which James and Lily survive. Poppy, the younger Dursley child, is a witch. What will happen when she receives her Hogwarts letter?
1. Chapter 1

Poppy Dursley had everything. She had an older brother Dudley, who was awfully spoiled if you asked her opinion, but then again, so was she. And she loved it. She was her parents favourite. Dudley had all their parents' expectations on his shoulders, but she was excused from all responsibilities, on account of being their little girl. Today was her eleventh birthday, and she had created quite a list for them. First and foremost, she wanted a kitten. He was to be white and fluffy with blue eyes and if he wasn't, she would send him back. She wanted at least six new dresses (and she _would_ be checking price tags, mind you). Hopefully, if this day went according to plan, soon she and her family would be leaving on a trip to Paris. Poppy absolutely _adored_ Paris-she had never been, but she had seen plenty of Anne Hathaway movies and that was enough to know.

On this Tuesday February morning Poppy looked around her room, cluttered with gifts from all sixteen of her Best Friends that she had invited to her birthday party that weekend. After the gift-giving ceremony each year she decided which eight of them got to sleep over based on their presents, and those ones were her Very Best Friends for Until Next Year. The only person she guaranteed a spot on the Very Best Friends for Until Next Year was Kyla, and that was because Kyla and Poppy were Really, Truly, Very Best Friends For Life. She walked downstairs, where Mum would be preparing breakfast-French Toast, and she had better not burn it this time.

"Poppy! Happy Birthday, love!" Mum squealed, and Poppy reflected that it really wasn't a very flattering sound.

"Hello Mummy. Dudders"

"Happy Birthday Poppy" Dudley grumbled, and he didn't sound as enthusiastic as he should have. After all, it was her eleventh birthday! Dad came waddling in-a few weeks ago she had decided that he and Dudley didn't walk, they waddled. He handed her a stack of letters.

"Happy Birthday, Pops"

"Thanks Dad" She said idly, as she ripped open the card. It was from Aunt Marge, and she pretended to read the note as she counted the money.

" _Mummy!_ "  
"Yes, love?"

"Aunt Marge's given me twenty five less pounds than she did last year! It's only 150!"

"Well poppin, Aunt Marge's also sent you a present this year"  
"She's still only given me £150!" Dad laughed.

"I'll give you 25 pounds, and that'll even it out" Poppy dropped the tears she was about to shed and smiled sweetly.

"Thanks, Daddy" She opened all her cards as they ate, collecting piles of money, until she finally came to the second last letter, thick and made of a heavy paper that she didn't recognize. It was even sealed with wax, something she had only seen in movies. Eagerly, she ripped it open, and a page fell out.

"What's in that letter?"

"Dunno. I think it might be a joke. Says it's from ' _Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry'_ " Dad immediately snatched the letter out of her hands.

"That's _my_ letter!"

"Not anymore. Go get ready for school."

"Not until you give me back my letter!"

" _Go_!" He raged, and Poppy turned and fled, in real tears this time. Dad never yelled at her! It wasn't fair! It was her letter!

Dad drove her and Dudley to school that morning, despite that normally Mum did. He didn't speak, the whole way there, and Poppy was very taken aback when she was nearly thrown out of the car at her elementary school. It was her birthday, and her letter that had been stolen from her! What right did _he_ have to be upset? She cheered up a bit when all eight of her Very Best Friends for Until Next Year sang her Happy Birthday as soon as she walked in, and then again when Mrs. Rolsey introduced the new student, a girl named Tia. Kyla and Poppy looked at each other. They would have to test her at recess. Maybe they could incorporate her into Kyla's Very Best Friends for Until Next Year list at birthday in June. Maybe she wouldn't fit in quite right, and she'd be lots of fun to torture. Either way, she was sure to prove to be quite the form of entertainment. By the time Justin had given her a bracelet _and_ chocolate as a combined birthday and five day anniversary gift, the incident was almost completely forgotten.

That recess, Tia, the new girl, sat down on the swings and pushed herself back and forth. Poppy, surrounded by her Very Best Friends for Until Next Year, stepped back in shock. The swings were her territory. Nobody went on them without her permission. They followed her as she headed over, not as quickly as a few other girls, who were obviously jealous that they hadn't been deemed a Best Friend and given an invitation to her birthday party. As they talked to Tia, one even sat down. It was anarchy, Poppy thought, a revolution happening right before her eyes! As soon as she stepped onto the turf, Tia flung off the swing and landed on her face. Looking up, the other girls scattered. Poppy primly stepped over her and took her seat on the swing.

"Ouch" She said, and everyone knew she didn't mean it. "Are you okay?" Kyla sat down on the other swing, and Poppy marvelled at her good luck. The fall was an easy way to enforce her status. Things like this always seemed to happen to people who questioned her, and she didn't have time to question it. Tia dusted herself off as she stood.

"I'm okay."

"Great. Would you like a seat?" She nodded towards the other swing, currently inhabited by Kyla. She wanted to interrogate her. Her mind was burning with a question after the near-chaos Tia had just caused. _Are you the enemy? Or are you an ally?_ There was a glint in Tia's eye when she responded.

"I think I'll stand, thanks." Poppy was taken aback, but she slowly nodded.

"So, Mia-"

"-Tia-"

"Where are you from?"

"London" London. Bonus points for that.

"And-have you ever been to Paris?"

"Have you?"

"I asked you first!"

"Yes. Have you?"

"No-" Tia smiled slightly. "-but, well, I should be going there soon"

"Well, Daisy, was it? I know it was some sort of flower. I think I'll go play on the slide now." She walked away, and Poppy was left, mouth dropped in shock.

* * *

"Wonder who they've sent?" A tan man with messy black hair of approximately 31 years and ten months of age asked.

"They sent McGonagall for me, Petunia'd know her." His wife responded.

"Which means she might not let her in" Lily shrugged, then giggled a bit.

"Imagine if they sent Hagrid to Privet Drive!"  
"She'd have a fit!" James grabbed a fistful of green powder and threw it into their fireplace. "Hogwarts!" In a rather strange manner, he stuck his face into the fire, and then emerged a few minutes later laughing harder than ever. "Moony says they didn't send anyone!" Lily shrugged.

"I guess it makes sense. Witch for a sister and all, they already know magic exists"

"Yes, but they don't know _she_ ' _s_ a witch!"

" _Please_ James, we knew from the one time we met her, and she was two! Anyone with eyes could see she's a witch!"

"My point exactly!" She hit him lightly, and the conversation was dropped, but the Potters were both left wondering the same thing. What had happened when the Hogwarts letter for Poppy Dursley had arrived?


	2. Chapter 2

Poppy was fuming. It had been two weeks and _still_ , Mum and Dad had not caved in and returned her letter! They were her parents! They were supposed to do whatever she told them! For her birthday, she received everything she wanted, including a trip to Paris, set to leave that spring break, and she would be accompanied by not only her white-furred blue-eyed kitten named Snowball, but three of her friends. It was an emergency. Obviously Kyla would be coming, but which other two of her Very Best Friends for Until Next Year would she bring?

And yet while she and Kyla sat in her room, weighing the pros and cons of each girl, trying to decide which would have the honour of going to Paris, the only thing that truly bothered her was the contents of the letter. Hogwash School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. What could that mean. It was probably a joke, but if it was, why would Mum and Dad make such a big deal about it? Fortunately enough, she would soon find out.

Dudley, the great bully that he was, had stacked several books (at least he found some use for them) under her mattress. True to the story of the Princess and the Pea, it had bothered her all night, though she wasn't sure what it was, and while she finally drifted off to sleep, she awoke again at around 3 or 4 in the morning and, back aching, decided to get herself a glass of water. A few minutes later, she would be glad for her pain, because somehow, due to her incredible luck as always, a letter fell through the slot just then. It was addressed to her, in the same fancy writing as before, and forgetting all about her glass of water, she snatched it up and ran up to her room. Hand shaking, she flipped on the light.

HOGWARTS SCHOOL OF WITCHCRAFT AND WIZARDRY

Headmaster: Albus Dumbledore

(order of Merlin 1st class, Grand Sorc., Chf. Warlock, Supreme Mugwump, Intnl. Confed. Of Wizards)

Dear Miss Dursley,

We are pleased to inform you that you have a place at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Please find enclosed a list of all neccessary books and equipment. Term begins on September 1. We await your owl by no later than July 31.

Yours sincerely,

Minerva McGonagal

Deputy Headmistress

Uniform

First-year students will require:

Three sets of plain work robes (black)

One pointed hat (black) for day wear

One pair of protective gloves (dragon hide or similar)

One winter cloak (black, silver fastenings)

Please note that all pupils' clothes should have name tags in them.

Course Books

All students should have a copy of each of the following:

The Standard Book of Spells (Grade 1) by Miranda Goshawk

A History of Magic by Bathilda Bagshot

Magical Theory by Adalbert Waffling

A Beginner's Guide to Transfiguration by Emeric Switch

One Thousand Magical Herbs and Fungi by Phyllida Spore

Magical Drafts and Potions by Arsenius Jigger

Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them by Newt Scamander

The Dark Forces: A Guide to Self-Protection by Quentin Trimble

Other Equipment

wand

1 cauldron (pewter, standard size 2)

1 set glass or crystal phials

1 telescope

1 set brass scales

Students may also bring an owl OR a cat OR a toad.

PARENTS ARE REMINDED THAT FIRST YEAR STUDENTS ARE NOT ALLOWED THEIR OWN BROOMSTICKS

She closed the letter, unsure whether she should be laughing or thinking that she had a place at a school for magic. Who would take the time to make not one, but two of these letters. And if it was fake, then why had Mum and Dad not wanted her to see. And what did it mean, "we await your owl"? Poppy had never even _seen_ an owl. She would have to confront them about it. But then, they might take it away again! Poppy headed to Dad's office and photocopied the letter, then spent the next several hours pacing. What would happen?

"Mummy, I need to talk to you"

"Yes?"

"Alone?"

"Duddy, run along and get ready, would you?" With a huff, Dudley heaved himself from his chair and left the room, and Mum sat down across from Poppy.

"It's about my letter"  
"Poppy, we've been over this" She said sternly.

"I know you know something!" Mum got up and went to wash the dishes.

"About what?"

"ABOUT HOGWARTS!" She froze where she was, and slowly turned around.

"What did you just say?" It was a deadly whisper.  
"Hogwarts. _What_ do you know about it? Tell me now!"

"I haven't any idea what you're talking about" Poppy slammed the photocopy of her letter down on the table.

"Yes you _do_!" Mum's hands were shaking when she took the letter.

"Where did you get this?"

"It was adressed to me!"

"It's a school for freaks, Poppy! For people with… unnatural talents. People who aren't like you and me. You won't be going there. I won't hear any more of it!" Mum stormed back in the room, and Poppy almost believed her. Almost.

Back in her room, she stared at the original letter. Somehow, she couldn't convince herself that Hogwarts was some horrible place for freaks and girls like Sophie Al.

* * *

"Lily, I don't _know_!" Remus Lupin was seriously regretting having accepted this invitation for tea.

"Well find out then!"

"I don't think I'm allowed that kind of information"

"And when have you ever been known to follow the rules?"

"Hey, remember that time that I was a prefect for three years?"

"Hey, remember that time when Dumbledore's only other options were Potter and Black? And Peter I guess."

"I was never an option Lil'. We all know that" Peter smiled.

"Oh, and also, the past seven years in which I've been a Hogwarts professor?"  
"Mm, I do remember that one. Last year, you gave your best friend's son an O on his final exams. Rule following." Remus put his cup down.

"Harry's brilliant at Defense! He deserved that O, Lily! And might I mention that if anyone's to blame for that it's the two of you!"

"Well, what can I say? I'm pretty brilliant myself. I can't help it if my son tends to be brilliant at everything he tries." Lily choked on her tea.

"Did you _see_ his potions grade?"

"Eh, potions doesn't matter"

"You're only saying that because you're rubbish at potions!"  
"Point in case" Lily sighed, and turned back to Remus, who had seriously been considering using the couple's squabbling as a chance to escape.

"Have they received a response from Poppy Dursley or not?"

"I believe I answered that question a minute back. I don't know. "

"Bloody hell, Remus! If she's not at Hogwarts on September the 1st, it'll be _your_ door I'm blasting down. Right after Petunia's that is" She added as an afterthought.

"Ok, ok, I'll see what I can do! Happy? " Lily took a sip of tea.

"Better."

* * *

Poppy didn't know what she was going to do about this school. Mum had said it was a school for freaks, but Poppy was starting to think there was more to Mum than she admitted. It was time to do some digging. That day, after school, she went up into the attic where Mum and Dad kept all Mum's parents things. Her grandparents had died before Poppy was born, but she knew there were a few boxes. What was Mum hiding?  
The first thing that Poppy found strange when she opened the first photo album was that in almost every photo of Mum there was another girl. Most were of the two of them, occasionally with other children in the mix, but some were just of Mum. Then again, some were just of the other girl. She was a redhead with sparkling green eyes and if Poppy were to be really honest with herself she would have said that as the girls became teenagers, the redhead was much prettier than Mum. She was always smiling or laughing, and she never seemed to have the sullen pursed lips that Mum so often sported. When the girl-Lily, as the captions underneath read, seemed especially happy she got these little crinkles around her eyes. It seemed that the girl was happy with imperfection and that was what made her so striking. Then Poppy shook herself-no, Lily was striking because of her good looks and evident charm. One must always strive for perfection, and Poppy knew that.

The photo album only gave her more questions, especially as a few pictures were torn out and their captions struck through, the earliest of which she could only decipher "Lily", and then several words later either "letter" or "lettuce". Poppy still hadn't any idea who Lily was, anyways. The other trinkets in the box were of no concern, the only interesting parts being the old journals of her grandmother. Thinking she had to start somewhere, Poppy flipped to the entry about the date from which the first picture had been torn.

 _January 31, 1971_

 _Today we were given quite a fright when a woman we had never met turned up on our doorstep out of seemingly nowhere and asked to be allowed to speak to Lily. We invited her in, and she introduced herself as Minerva McGonagall. Over a cup of tea she announced that she was a professor at a school of magic. Naturally, we assumed she was just a batty old woman, and Charles nearly called the police to take her to an institute, when she turned our coffee table into a goat and then back again. I must sound absolutely beserk, but I swear I saw it with my own two eyes! She then proceeded to tell us that Lily was a witch like her, and had a place at her school, which is called Hogwarts! I had to pinch myself to make sure I wasn't dreaming, but then Lily always has been able to make things happen that she really shouldn't be able to. After we overcame our initial shock, Charles and I were thrilled. Of course our excitement could not have matched Lily's. Can you imagine being 11, barely having outgrown your fairies, magic and princesses stage, only to find out that you have magical powers? However, she says she already knew, because that friend of hers from down the street, Severus, told her. When I asked her how he knew, she looked at me and said, matter-of-factly as ever, "He's a wizard, of course". How strange it is that somehow, what must be the only two children with magical powers in miles met and became friends. Petunia, on the other hand, seemed as though she was trying to hide her jealousy. Sometimes I worry about those two. They used to be such close sisters!_

 _I am in utter shock. In 45 years of life I never could have imagined that there is an entirely secret magical community hidden from the public, and then to make it more absurd, a witch would show up at my house wanting to educate my daughter in magic!_

Poppy closed the journal. The rest of the entry seemed to be about shock finding out that magic was real, which she didn't need to read about, as she was going through it right now. Lily was Mum's sister. She was Poppy's aunt, and Poppy had never even known she had existed. And more than that, Lily was a witch who had gotten invited to the same school as Poppy had! And Mum had been jealous of Lily, and now she was jealous of Poppy and that was why she was trying to stop her from attending Hogwarts!

In a move of poor judgement, she took her grandmother's journal downstairs and slammed it down in front of Mum.

"Explain."


	3. Chapter 3

Poppy hadn't left her room in six days, and it came as a shock to her system. No matter how much she screamed, cried, or whined, Mum and Dad would not budge. The only food she received was a few slices of toast in the morning and a bowl of soup each dinner. Who knew what was happening at school! How was Tia, the new girl doing? How would she and Kyla ever evaluate which two other girls got to come to Paris with them if Poppy couldn't leave her room? It seemed terribly inhumane to Poppy, and she would've called the police if her parents hadn't _taken her phone_ out of her room! The phone was old styled, the type where you had to twirl the dial, and pink and fluffy, and it had been her favourite birthday present, except for of course, her kitten Snowball. Now it was gone, and Poppy spent a great deal more time crying than she would've liked.

It was her seventh night in her room and she was just getting ready to have a good cry when there was a loud pop, and then there was a man with dark skin and messy hair standing in her room. Poppy sat up and gave her loudest, most high pitched scream. The man winced and covered his ears.

"Bloody hell! Keep it down, would you?" She could hear her Mum and Dad running and she knew she only had to stall for a few seconds before they unlocked her room and came to save her.

"Who are you?" She asked carefully, glancing at the door.

"James Potter's the name"

"And-" where were they? "And what are you doing in my room, James Potter?"

"Have you received your Hogwarts letter?" Poppy froze. Who was this? Was this someone from Hogwarts? The Minerva McGonagall who came to see Lily seemed to have a much more civilized approach. The door swung open, and James Potter disappeared with a large crack. Dad flicked on the lights to an empty room.

"You think that's funny, do you?"

"What? No, there was someone in my room! Didn't you see him?"

"I only see you, trying to get our attention and out of your room! Nice try, Poppy. Next time I won't come running so quickly."

"But there was someone here! He asked about Hogwarts! He said his name was James Potter!" Poppy watched as the colour drained from Dad's face.

"Don't ever say that in my house again!"

"James Potter?"

"HOGWARTS!" The door slammed shut, and Poppy heard a lock click.

* * *

 _Lily,_

 _STAY OUT OF MY BUSINESS. I thought I made it clear that I wanted nothing to do with you, and yet somehow, your husband ends up in my daughter's BEDROOM in the middle of the night quibbling about that school! She won't be going. The letter was an accident! Poppy is not one of you. She's a nice, pretty, smart young girl and she'll attend a school full of other nice, pretty and smart girls, and she'll never learn your godforsaken ways. She doesn't belong there. Stay out of my life, and_ _stay away from my daughter_

 _Petunia_

"Well, that was friendly" Lily said dryly, but inside she was panicking. "She has to go to Hogwarts. She _has_ to!"

"She can't keep her out of Hogwarts! Is that even legal?"

"She has parental rights, James! She can do whatever she wants!"

"But she's a muggle! I don't think she has the right to stop a witch from attending Hogwarts, parent or no. It'll come down to Poppy's choice"

"But if Petunia tells her all these terrible things about Hogwarts, she'll never pick it!"

"And we need as many people supporting the cause as we can"

"'The cause'. You talk about it like we're still fighting a war!"

"We are. Just because there's a pause doesn't mean it's over. He will come back."  
"He will. But it's been twelve years! Is it too much to ask that he wait a hundred years? We've fought our part! Can't someone else pick up the torch?"  
"You've heard the prophecy. If we don't fight him-"he lowered his voice "Harry will."

* * *

THREE MONTHS LATER

Poppy was back at school, after a wonderful trip to Paris with Kyla, Anne, and Mary. Everything seemed to be back to normal in Paris, but as soon as they returned home it became evident to Poppy that nothing would ever be the same. Mum and Dad were cold and distant. Dudley still got everything he wanted, and she was starting to feel a bitter, overwhelming jealousy. What right did they have to treat him so much better than her? All because of a letter? Because she was a witch! Because she was magical! Well, screw them. She was _Poppy Dursley_! She deserved the best, and nothing less! And if Mum and Dad were going to treat her like this, then she was going to go to Hogwarts!

The letter said "we await your owl", whatever that meant. She needed to communicate with whoever it was that ran Hogwarts that she wanted to go. She wondered if, because she was a witch, she could just communicate with them telepathically, but then she decided that was silly. She was going to the school to learn to use her powers, which meant she would do very well trying to learn them now! She would have to wait for the next letter to arrive (as they arrived pretty frequently, just to remind her), and try to send a note back with whatever it came on. The wizard mailman, she supposed. Quickly, she drafted her note. Would it be better to address it to Minerva McGonagall or Albus Dumbledore? Dumbledore, she guessed, as he was the headmaster.

 _Dear Mr. Dumbledore,_

 _My name is Poppy Dursley and I've received many letters about your school. My parents say that I can't go because it's a school for freaks, but I would like to. I would also like to suggest that you send a staff member to visit the families because my parents did_ not _take it well, and I thought it was a joke until I did some investigating and found out my mum has a sister who I'm pretty sure went there. I think her name is Lily-Lily Evans? Which explains why Mum knew about it all already (although she did_ not _seem to like it). Also, there is a long list of school supplies that I have no idea where to buy, and how do I get on the train?_

 _Sincerely,_

 _Poppy Dursley_

She sat on her porch step for three nights before the next letter arrived, and suddenly the "we await your owl" made a lot more sense. The letter came on an owl! Tentatively, she gave the bird (of course, she was really only assuming that this was an owl) her note.

"Could you-um… take this to Hogwarts?" The owl hooted and flew off, and Poppy was left feeling rather ridiculous


	4. Chapter 4

_October 31, 1981_

 _It was stupid, Lily knew, it was stupid to want to go to the Hogwarts feast when she wasn't even a student there, when she had a baby to protect from You-Know-Who. But she was 21! She couldn't go to a bar and get wasted on firewhiskey like she was supposed to, she couldn't even leave her house! But Hogwarts was her home, and why couldn't she go back there, just once, for her favourite holiday? Just for a little while, she wanted to feel a little less like a child-mother, or more accurately, a child-soldier. So yes, she was staying in a set of spare rooms and eating at the staff table this Halloween with her husband while her school best friend took care of her baby._

 _Marlene didn't know how Lily did it. Sure, Harry was devastatingly cute, but you could only read so many children's books and recite so many rhymes before it got boring. By nine o'clock, she had read through every wizarding children's story ever (which she knew by heart, anyways), and had exhausted Lily's supply of Muggle children's books, and the kid was still awake! She was on her sixth game of peek-a-boo when there was a knock at the door. She left Harry in his crib and headed downstairs._

 _Marlene McKinnon was 21 years old. She had soft blonde curls and a Gryffindor tattoo, on which the lion would periodically roar. She had an older brother, and two months ago, just after graduating Auror training he had gone to visit her Auror parents (she was supposed to be there, she had just been running a bit late), when You-Know-Who had shown up at the McKinnon Manor with a team of Death Eaters and taken out all three birds with one stone. Marlene had never been on time to anything in her life. She knew what that was supposed to get her. At Hogwarts she had gotten reprimands and detentions from the nastier of teachers. She had been scolded by Lily when she had shown up late to the wedding. "The maid of honour can't show up late,_ Marlene _!" But she had never expected her lateness would end with her Apparating to her childhood home only to find the Dark Mark over it._

 _This had caused her to drop out of her own Auror training: she was almost finished anyways, so she had learned everything, she it was really just review from hereon out. But while she had spent the past three years in a classroom (or mainly, training facilities), her friends had been out there._ Doing _something! She could finish her qualifications after the war. Now, she wanted to fight with the Order of the Phoenix: she had been invited to join after seventh year but had chosen to be trained as an Auror instead. Now, it all just seemed pointless. Her brother and both her parents were Aurors, and it didn't stop them from being killed. She wanted to be on the front lines. She wanted to help!_

 _Her curls bounced as she headed down the stairs, and maybe it was because she was tired, or bored, or she just didn't care anymore, but she trusted the Fidelius Charm a little too much. Without asking any questions, she swung the door open, thinking it must be Sirius, or Mary. It was Lord Voldemort. Pulling out her wand, she took a few steps back, and silently casted Protego. He gave a cold smile._

" _McKinnon. Sorry I missed you at your manor a few months ago. Of course, perhaps it was fate. Perhaps you were meant to survive. I've heard you won't become an Auror anymore. Perhaps you mean to join me. You are, after all, a pureblood"_

" _I will never join you"  
_ " _Stand aside! The McKinnon bloodline doesn't have to end here. Choose your family!" Marlene lifted her wand, and as he blasted through her defensive spell, she knew it was a death sentence._

" _No."_

 _Marlene McKinnon did not go down without a fight, but at the end of the day, no one could live once he decided to kill them. So when her 21-year old body hit the floor, he merely stepped over her and walked upstairs._

* * *

 _November 1st, 1981_

 _Lily Evans and James Potter walked down to Hogsmeade the way they had so many times before, and then, after one last butterbeer at the 3 Broomsticks, they apparated to Godric's Hollow. It had only been one night, but Hogwarts was their home, and they were in a state of bliss they hadn't been in for years. It seemed all would be well after all. Hogwarts was there, functioning as ever, even the midst of a crisis. It was a symbol of hope. They would weather this storm. And ten years from now, perhaps, there would be no war, no dark wizard, just them and Harry, and Kings Cross Station for his first year on the adventure of a lifetime._

 _The funny thing was, they would remark later, there was no Dark Mark. No sign of trouble. Just their little cottage. James opened the door, and Lily stepped in, quickly followed by him._

" _Marlene?" She asked "Harry?" There was no response. She turned to her husband. "Where d'you reckon they are?" He didn't respond either, instead staring wordlessly at the ground near their sofa. She followed his gaze and found her best friend, lying on the floor dead. Lily hadn't known, even when her parents died, that it was possible to feel heartbreak like this. And if Marlene was dead, that meant… He was only one! She didn't know which one of them dissolve into tears first, just that they were both on the ground next to Marlene, sobbing._

" _I can't do it" James whispered. "I can't go up there and, and see…" There was a soft cry in the distance, slowly getting louder. And that night, news spread around the wizarding world of Voldemort's fall. Everywhere, witches and wizards raised their glasses to Harry Potter, the Boy Who Lived._


	5. Chapter 5

Remus Lupin fell through the Potters' fireplace, and then, as he got to his feet, surveying the house, realized he probably should have sent a message first, as apparently no one was home. He ran quickly through the house and found that no one was there. Grabbing a muffin from the countertop, he headed back to Hogwarts-after all, he only had 15 minutes break. Using his last few minutes, he began to draft a letter.

Poppy expected it would be a few days before she received a response from Hogwarts-that was, after all, how the postal system worked. She didn't expect that, at approximately 6:15, as her family was sitting down to dinner, there would be a knock on the door. She also didn't expect that when she opened it, the very redhead that had been haunting her thoughts for the past three months would be standing on her doorstep.

Lily Evans.

Wordlessly, Poppy gestured for her to come in, and Lily stepped into the house, pulling off her coat and hanging it up.

"Poppy? Who's there?" Mum called.

"Hello, Tuney" Lily said calmly. Poppy heard a gasp, and Mum came running.

"Lily." Dad and Dudley headed over too, to see what the commotion was all about.

"You!" Dad turned rather red. "I thought I made it perfectly clear I didn't want anything to do with you or, or _your lot_ "

"It's polite to call before you visit" Mum said quietly.

"Well, it's also polite to respond to your only sister's letters more than a Christmas card once a year, but then we all make mistakes." Lily said easily.

"I suppose you expect me to ask you to sit down."

"It would be rather kind of you, but I expect nothing of the type. I don't plan to be here for long."

"Well? What is it?"

"You know what I'm here about." Mum swallowed.

"Dudley, Poppy, go into the kitchen and eat. And I'll know if you're eavesdropping"

"I'm _not_ leaving!" Dudley cried.

"Neither am I!"

" _Go_!" Dad yelled-he never used to yell at them before the first letter.

"Wait, Poppy" Lily said. "It would hardly be fair to discuss her future without her in the room, would it?"

" _There is no discussion_. She's _not_ going!"

"I disagree. Poppy is a witch, Petunia. She deserves to be educated as such." Dudley was looking at Poppy with a mixture of fear and confusion in his eyes.

"Never-" now Dad was quite purple "-say that word in front of me!"  
"Education? I know yours was lacking, Vernon, but really!" Poppy wouldn't have been surprised if Dad started emitting steam from his nostrils.

"Get out of my house! She will not be attending that… that school!"

"Yes she will!"

"It's not your decision!"

"No, it's not. But I have a friend in Magical Law Enforcement, who seems to think that Muggles have no legal right to keep a magical child out of Hogwarts. So really, it's neither of our choices." She paused. "Poppy, what do you want" Poppy felt rather intimidated, but, she realized, she wasn't going to lie. She wanted it badly enough to do something that might someday stop her from getting enough presents or treats.  
"I want to go to Hogwarts." Lily smiled.

"Well, then, it's settled. I suppose you'll need your things. I can take you to get them say… Sunday. Would that work?" Poppy nodded meekly.

"Sure" Lily disappeared with a loud crack.

Sunday could not have come sooner. Mum and Dad were barely speaking to Poppy, and when Lily showed up at 8 o'clock, Poppy had already been up for four hours. This time, she didn't appear outside the house, but inside it, giving Mum quite a fright.

"Well, Poppy, ready to go?"

"Yep. Well, kind of. I have a few questions" Lily smiled and took a seat on the couch (Mum glared at her from the kitchen).

"I expect you do"

"Well-I-uh… where are we getting this?"

"Diagon Alley. It's in London"

"And how are we getting to London?"

"Using the Floo"

"The what?"

"The Floo Network. You go into one fireplace and then you appear in another. I had your house hooked up for the day, although strictly speaking, Muggle houses aren't allowed to be connected. I figured it'd be nicer than side-along-apparition"

"Muggle?"

"People who aren't magical"

"Oh. And um-apparition?"

"What I've been doing. You disappear in one place and appear in the other"

"Isn't that the same thing as Floo?"

"Not really. Floo requires Floo Powder, which does the magic for you. Muggles can use the Floo Network in theory. Apparition is highly advanced and dangerous magic, and the first time you do it, most people vomit. So if you held on tightly, I could take you, but since you've never been exposed to any real magic before…"

"And, well, can you explain about Hogwarts?" She smiled.

"I can, but it'll take a while, so we should get going."

"Ok, so, umm…" Lily grinned.

"Grab your coat" Poppy grabbed a black dress coat, as Lily opened the grates to the fireplace.

"I could only get it hooked up to my house, so we'll go there, and then from there to Diagon Alley."

"So, I just…"

"Get in"

"Don't you think it's a little small?"

"You'll fit" Poppy crawled into the fireplace, getting her stockings dirty and filling her with claustrophobia. She was standing in the chimney. Lily stuck a pouch up.

"Take a handful of that dust" She did so, and Lily withdrew her hand.

"Now drop it, and when you do, say Potter Manor, nice and clear." Poppy took a deep breath and then flung the dust down.

"Potter Manor" Green flames were everywhere, and then she was shooting down a tunnel. Soon, and she didn't know how long, it could have been a second, it could have been an hour, she rolled out onto a carpet that looked _very_ expensive and _very_ old. She had fallen out of a fireplace that had to be the length of her bedroom wall. As she got to her feet, she looked around in wonder. The man who had been in her bedroom-James Potter-was sitting on a stool in what must have been the kitchen drinking coffee- _that_ , at least, was familiar, and reading a newspaper on which she swore the pictures were moving. He seemed thoroughly unperturbed by the dishes that were washing themselves or the small, elf-like creature wearing rags that was carrying a broom by.

"Morning" He said, and behind him, the cupboards flung open (with no one pulling them), and a box flew out, caught by a little girl. James Potter flicked his wand lazily, and the box flew back into the cupboard and the doors closed. "It's eight-thirty Ari, you don't need a cookie." He turned around and smiled. "It was impressive magic, though" The girl smiled proudly and then noticed Poppy, staring at her. Poppy suddenly felt incompetent. _She_ had never made anything like that happen! James noticed the direction of her stare.

"This is your cousin Poppy. Poppy, this is Aria"

"I'm six" Aria said, "And I can count to a thousand, and I'm going to be a Chaser for the Holyhead Harpies when I grow up"

"Nice to meet you" Poppy said, and she didn't mention that she didn't know what a Chaser or the Holyhead Harpies were. Lily stepped out of the fireplace, and Poppy noted she didn't fall all over the place like she had.

"Ready to go?" She asked.


	6. Chapter 6

_October 20, 1981_

 _Emmeline Vance was seventeen years old and a member of the Order of the Phoenix. She had also been captured in the middle of the night by a team of Death Eaters led by Lucius Malfoy. She had hated Malfoy since he had docked ten points from her in second year because her tie was loose. He rounded in on her, and she braced herself for the Cruciatus curse. It never came._

" _Imperio"_ Stand up. _No, she thought. No._ Stand up. _No!_ Stand up. _She stood up._ Tell us your code question.

" _Who is your favourite British monarch?"_ Tell us the answer. " _Empress Matilda"_ Your other question. " _How many siblings did you have at age six?"_ The answer. " _Four"_ Is that all? " _No"_ The question. " _Which house did the Sorting Hat consider before putting you in Gyffindor?"_ The answer. " _Slytherin" Lucius Malfoy gave a cold smile that made her blood curl._ Is that all? " _Yes"_

 _October 30, 1981_

 _Lord Voldemort drank the liquid, a bright a red that reminded him far too much of Gryffindor House and, humiliating as it was, long dark hair was sprouting from his head and he was shrinking, his facial features narrowing and becoming feminine. He grabbed his wand and headed for coffee with Peter Pettigrew-the one he'd had the real Emmeline Vance, under the Imperius Curse, set up._

" _Look," He told him. "I don't have time. I'm on a mission from Dumbledore. I've got to talk to the Potters. Where are they?" Peter frowned._

" _Who's your favourite British monarch?"_

" _Empress Matilda"_

" _And, uh… what house did the Sorting Hat consider for you before putting you in Gryffindor?"_

" _Slytherin"_

" _Um… oh, I can't remember your last one. They're in Godric's Hollow" Lord Voldemort left almost laughing with the address of his worst enemy, the infant Harry Potter. Really, they should've used the Black boy. He would've been much more difficult to trick…_

July 16, 1992

(TWO MONTHS LATER)

Poppy was having a lovely time at Potter Manor. Mum and Dad had been nothing but awful to her since she had gone to Diagon Alley with Lily, and after seeing such marvellous things everything that happened at school seemed terribly mundane. She had even given up most of her schoolyard power to Kyla (who had run off with it and become friends with Tia, because it seemed they weren't really Very Best Friends For Life). Eventually she had just written to Lily with the lovely owl she had bought her and asked to stay with them. Besides, Potter Manor was so much nicer than her home, where everywhere she looked there was some expensive antiquity that James had decided to disrespect somehow by using it for a different purpose. It was _exciting_!

She was great at Quidditch-well, not compared to Harry ("youngest House player in a century" James said almost every five minutes), James or Lily, but she could beat Aria and Oliver and Adam, so that was something. Although Harry often pointed out that they were all six and under, when his friends came to stay she found she could beat Hermione too, and she was almost on par with Ron. She missed her Mum and Dad-the way they used to be, that was, but she had learned so much about the magical world that she felt much more comfortable attending Hogwarts in September.

But she was excited. She was excited to go to Hogwarts, which Harry had told her so much about, and she was excited to find out what house she'd be in ("it's Gryffindor or nothing, Poppy" "James!"). She was excited to make her own friends that were just like her, she was excited to walk the halls and attend the classes and go to the feasts and it almost felt like when she got on the train everything in the world would be right again. She was a witch. She belonged at Hogwarts! The castle felt like home, even though she had never been there.


	7. Chapter 7

Mum and Dad dropped her off at King's Cross Station with her trunk, her cat Snowball, and her owl Duchess. She found the barrier between platform nine and ten just like Lily said it would be and, taking a deep breath, ran straight at it. She made it to the other side, breathing. Steam filled the air on the busy platform, full of loving parents and she wandered around until Harry noticed her. "Poppy!" He was standing with his parents and his three younger siblings, who were all whining about why they couldn't go to Hogwarts. "Because you're only six Aria, that's why" Lily said laughingly. Poppy got onto the train with Harry, who sat down in a compartment with Ron and Hermione. Poppy sat down too, but Ron told his own younger sister she couldn't sit with them. "Would you like to find a compartment with me?" The girl asked. "I'm Ginny, by the way. Ginny Weasley. I'm a first year too" Poppy smiled at her. "Sure" They walked up and down the train car, eventually finding a compartment with only one person in it, a girl with short brown hair and a pug-like face wearing a Slytherin tie. "Sorry, but could we sit here?" "Does this compartment look like it's empty?" "Oh sorry, we didn't realize how important your friendless solitude was to you" Ginny said harshly. "Ginny!" Poppy hissed after they had closed the door. "What?" She asked innocently. Eventually they found seats with a group of second-year Gryffindor boys-Ginny whispered to her that Ron had mentioned them, and Poppy swore she had heard the last name Longbottom uttered more than once at the Potter dinner table. By the time Ginny and her had walked side by side down the Great Hall, Poppy had decided she was going to be in Gryffindor. Of course, she had _hoped_ , with all that she had been told, but one could never quite _know_. Now, though, she knew. Gryffindor was the best, and so was she. Several students were sorted when, "Dursley, Poppy" Poppy walked up and sat on the stool, and Professor McGonagall placed the hat on her head. _Interesting._ Poppy nearly fell off the stool in fright. _Where shall I put you? Not Hufflepuff, certainly, you're not kind enough for that. You've got quite a sharp mind, but quite a lot of fear, too._ 'So not Gryffindor' she thought in disappointment. _Now, I didn't say that. Bravery doesn't mean the absence of fear. And, ah…_ The hat sighed. _An ocean of ambition. A perfect Slytherin. That's quite a predicament._ Then the hat laughed, as if it sensed her confusion (and it probably did). _The problem there is that you are Muggleborn. Slytherin is the house of purebloods. I can't put you there. Will it be Ravenclaw or Gryffindor, then? Which is more important to you: bravery or brilliance? You are brave, no doubt about it, certainly you're reckless. But are you noble? Do you have a purpose? I'd say not. Nothing but your own self-interest. So I suppose it'll be Ravenclaw. But… you lack so much! You are no Ravenclaw. Let me ask you this question: Are you prepared to be ridiculed every day of your life to be in Slytherin?_ 'No',Poppy thought honestly. 'I just want to be in Gryffindor'. _Let me rephrase. Are_ _you willing to suffer for greatness?_ Poppy took a deep breath, and then the Hat rang out across the hall, loud and clear. "SLYTHERIN" Poppy walked slowly to the Slytherin table, noticing there were several Gryffindors booing. _Booing_. It was her first day at Hogwarts,in the magical world, and they already hated her! She half expected to be asked her blood status the moment she sat down, but she wasn't. She was asked her name, her Quidditch team ("Puddlemere United" she had said, because it was the Potters' team and she didn't know any others), whether or not she was nervous. In general, everyone was rather friendly, and Poppy started to wonder whether or not Slytherin deserved its dark reputation 


End file.
